Everything started with one sentence from Kang Ichae.
“What’s Chuseok?”
It was right after Shining Star Season 2 ended and their “Descent” promotions wrapped up—right when Kang Ichae’s plagiarism scandal had finally been resolved. As the rapper lay sprawled out on a sleeping bag in the practice room and casually dropped that question, everyone’s eyes went wide in shock. Jung Dajun even dropped his ice cream and let out a «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» shrill scream.
“Hyung... are, are you a foreigner? What is Chuseok?!!”
“Kang Ichae... you don’t know what Chuseok is?”
“Ichae-ah......”
Even Sung Jiwon looked at him with pity.
Kang Ichae, who’d been munching on a Pepero stick, sat up with an awkward smile, as if realizing something had gone wrong.
“Wait, wait! I’m kidding. Of course I know what Chuseok is.”
No matter how long he’d lived abroad, after spending this much time working in Korea, he had to know what Chuseok was. Drawing attention like breathing was just his habit, and this time too, he’d said it for fun.
“Wow, I—I was so shocked I couldn’t even think of what to say.”
“Hey, don’t underestimate your hyung like that. Even I shouted, ‘Have a happy Chuseok~!’ in an official video, you know~!”
But since everyone took it seriously, Kang Ichae found himself the most bewildered of all.
This year’s Chuseok was special.
During their rookie year, they’d spent the holiday running from one countryside festival to another without even realizing what “holiday leave” meant, but now—three years in—it was different. They were getting two whole days off! (Used) rookies!
That was all thanks to Seo Hoyun threatening Daepaseong to at least let them go home for the holidays. With the slave-driving agency finally shut down, all the artists under it could now clear their schedules and actually enjoy a real Chuseok break.
Everyone started chatting noisily about their plans.
“What are you guys doing for Chuseok?”
“I’m going to visit my grandma.”
“Me too, going home.”
“Same here~.”
Jung Dajun bragged that he was going to hand out tons of The Dawn’s official merch to his cousins. Sung Jiwon, as usual, would spend a quiet, cozy time with his family. Kim Sunghyun, on the other hand, would be endlessly tormented by his younger siblings.
After everyone introduced their holiday plans, it was Kang Ichae’s turn.
“What about you, hyung?”
“Me?”
Kang Ichae lay back down on the practice room floor and replied listlessly.
“Nothing. I’ll just stay at the dorm.”
Crunching another Pepero stick between his teeth, he laced his fingers behind his head. Since there had been the fan-song plagiarism uproar only days ago, it made sense for him to keep a low profile.
But looking at him, Sung Jiwon and Kim Sunghyun both felt the same unspoken question rise in their minds.
Still... alone on Chuseok?
Why not spend it with family? Maybe they lived abroad and a three-day break wasn’t enough time?
Just as the two were hesitating, Jung Dajun suddenly shot to his feet, face set with resolve and a raised fist.
“...I got a feeling.”
A feeling?
Ignoring everyone’s confused stares, Dajun smacked his forehead as if struck by divine inspiration.
“It’s coming! Yes! I feel it! The answer... the answer is camping!!!”
“......What?”
“What did you say? You mean hiking to watch the sunrise? You’re absolutely right! The sunrise! Let’s go watch the sunrise, Ichae-hyung!! Our name’s The Dawn, right?! Then we have to go see it!”
“...Are you possessed or something?”
Murmuring, Kang Ichae pushed himself up on his elbows, then jokingly handed the Pepero to Dajun.
“What are you even seeing, our maknae...? And I hate camping. You guys should just go visit your families...”
“Hahaha! If you hate camping, then let’s go glamping instead!!! I’ll show you how to flex! Come on, let’s go, Yang-Achae! It’s your time to shine!”
“Uh?”
As Dajun suddenly went wild, Sung Jiwon and Kim Sunghyun exchanged glances.
Kang Ichae... Though he looked like the type to enjoy solitude, they knew he actually disliked being alone.
So Kim Sunghyun sent a text to his family group chat—“I’ll come home a day early, something came up”—and clapped Ichae on the shoulder.
“Alright, let’s go.”
“...We’re going?”
“Of course, glamping or camping, whatever~!”
While Ichae blinked in confusion at Dajun’s manic energy, Sung Jiwon nodded with a gentle smile, pressing down on Dajun’s shoulders to stop him from bouncing around.
Kim Sunghyun glanced at Ichae again, wondering if he’d find it bothersome. But as the other watched TV, the corners of his lips twitched upward.
...He seemed a little happy.
***
“I’m not going.”
In front of the Daepaseong building, Seo Hoyun took a long sip from the frappuccino Kim Sunghyun had brought and flatly refused. His tone left no room for negotiation, making Kim sigh deeply.
“Why not?”
“I have work.”
“It’d be nice to spend a night camping. It’d be good for all five of us to hang out together.”
“Four’s enough, isn’t it? Have fun.”
Seo Hoyun looked exhausted. Seeing how much he worked, it wasn’t surprising that everything he touched turned out well.
He was definitely softer than when they first met, but Seo Hoyun was still Seo Hoyun. The way he sat there, drinking only the frappuccino, made it clear he wasn’t going to be cooperative.
Of course, even if it was only four of them, it wouldn’t be a problem... but for some reason, Kim didn’t like that idea.
He opened his mouth to try convincing him again—when Lee Jihyun suddenly peeked out.
“Eek!”
“Hahahahahaha....”
She looked like a zombie. Giving a ghostly smile to the startled Kim Sunghyun, she gestured weakly to Seo Hoyun.
“Come on in... all the materials are ready....”
“Yeah. ...Coming.”
Seo Hoyun patted Kim’s shoulder twice and walked past him. Then, seeing Kim’s disappointed expression, he added briefly,
“Kid, don’t cry just because I’m not there.”
“Just go already.”
Yeah, maybe it was better this way. As Kim grimaced, Seo Hoyun chuckled faintly and disappeared into the meeting room.
‘Well... we’ll still have fun without him.’
After lingering a bit in mild disappointment, he went to tell the others.
Kang Ichae and Sung Jiwon looked slightly regretful, but didn’t push the issue.
Only Jung Dajun went ballistic.
“What?! That’s impossible! You have to see the sunrise on holidays! Our name is The Dawn, right?! If we’re The Dawn, then we have to watch the rising sun together at dawn!!!”
Faced with his miraculous logic, Kim covered his ears. But Dajun puffed out his cheeks and slammed the desk.
“Once he hears this, Hoyun-hyung will come too! Let’s goooo!!”
As if.
Everyone but Dajun clearly didn’t expect that to work. When Kim’s eyes met Sung Jiwon’s, the latter just smiled softly.
“It’ll be fun, though.”
So the remaining four decided: they’d spend the first day of the three-day break with their families, then meet on the afternoon of the second day. Seo Hoyun also mentioned he’d visit his family sometime during the holiday.
They even rented a car and booked a glamping site on the outskirts of Gyeonggi-do. On the way, they stopped by an old supermarket and carefully picked out meat—but of course, food wasn’t all they bought.
“Jenga! We need Jenga, obviously!”
“Dajun, you’re such a noob. It has to be a board game!!”
The two maknaes’ voices grew louder as they argued over what to play at the campsite. Watching their fierce debate, Sung Jiwon quietly stepped aside.
“Sunghyun, give me a sec.”
He took the two noisy kids outside the store.
A few minutes later—
“Hyung, we’re sorry...”
“It was our fault...”
“It’s okay!”
They returned, visibly deflated, while Sung Jiwon’s face shone with a bright, forgiving smile.
“......”
What the hell did he do?
Kim Sunghyun stared in disbelief, but Sung Jiwon only grinned and lifted a bottle of soju.
At the campsite, they grilled meat and chatted, swapping stories about their visits home. When Kim Sunghyun brought out the jeon he’d packed from his hometown, the atmosphere grew even warmer.
As the sky darkened, talk naturally turned to making a campfire. The maknaes darted toward the fire pit, already carrying logs in their arms.
The pile of wood Dajun and Ichae built together swayed dangerously.
“What’s this? Dajun-ah, do we just throw in a lot like this?”
“You already did, how am I supposed to—oh. Ohhh! The flames are rising!”
“Uwoooo!!! This is... fire! Fire!!”
“Hey!! What the hell did you put in there?!”
Like prying away cavemen who’d just discovered fire, Kim Sunghyun dragged the two maknaes aside and quickly grabbed the tongs. After flipping and poking the coals a few times, the raging flames finally settled down. Exhaling in relief, he shot Sung Jiwon an SOS look.
Sipping his drink, Sung Jiwon watched quietly, then called out to Kang Ichae, “Ichae, aren’t you thirsty?” and gestured lightly.
At that soft smile and half-lidded gaze, Kang Ichae reached for a cup of water—only for it to turn out to be a shot of strong liquor. He downed it in one go and promptly collapsed face-first onto the table.
“Ahaha... it’s quiet now, isn’t it?”
“......”
Terrifying.
That smile was terrifying.
Afraid that saying a single wrong word would get him caught in the blast radius, Kim Sunghyun kept his mouth shut and just focused on eating meat in silence for a good thirty minutes. Then, as if nothing had happened, Sung Jiwon tilted his head slightly.
“Sunghyun-ah. We’re missing someone. When’s Hoyun coming?”
“He’s not. He’s probably with his brother by now.”
“He said he’s coming?”
“I said he’s not.”
Something felt off in that circular exchange. Glancing at him, Kim realized Sung Jiwon’s cheeks had gone a little flushed—he’d been sipping steadily for a while now.
‘That’s rare.’
Meanwhile, Kim himself was still sober; between tending the grill, managing the fire, and cleaning up after everyone, he hadn’t had much to drink.
He figured nothing else could go wrong—until Sung Jiwon, face faintly red, suddenly murmured,
“Hoyun is... really cool.”
He said that kind of thing often after a few drinks, so both Jung Dajun and Kim Sunghyun brushed it off with practiced replies. “Yes, yes, of course, Seo Hoyun’s the best.”
But then a low, mocking voice came from the corner.
“What’s so great about him?”
Kang Ichae, who everyone assumed was passed out drunk, was now propping his chin on the table, very much awake.
“You’ve been really into him lately. Always asking for Hoyun-hyung. Oh, I’m curious too—tell me. Why do you admire him so much?”
“......”
Jung Dajun and Kim Sunghyun exchanged sharp, panicked glances.
‘This... this is bad.’
‘Emergency level: catastrophic...’
Just like during the final episodes of Shining Star Season 2—when those two fought, it was hell.
The mere memory of being caught between them made their spines crawl.
Running his fingers along the rim of his glass, Sung Jiwon spoke softly.
“Do I need to explain? He’s just... amazing from head to toe.”
“He’s an asshole.”
“That careless way he says things is what’s cool about him.”
“Wow, not even denying it...” Jung Dajun whispered, munching popcorn with interest, only for Kim to slap a hand over his mouth in panic.
Kang Ichae, clearly incredulous, studied Sung Jiwon closely before curling his lips into a smirk.
“Why the sudden confession, huh? Something happen? Want me to guess? Around late August maybe? When Hoyun-hyung was kind of uneasy?”
“...Hoyun was?”
“Yeah.”
They probably thought they were just having a normal conversation, but to Kim Sunghyun—who’d lived through their “normal” before—every nerve screamed danger.
Then Sung Jiwon abruptly stood up.
Startled, Kim almost leapt between them, but before he could move, Sung Jiwon stepped forward—
“...Ugh.”
—and wrapped his arms around Kang Ichae. His eyes, flushed red from alcohol, curved gently as he smiled.
“Ichae-ya, I’m happy.”
“......”
“Aren’t you?”
“......”
Frozen stiff in that sudden embrace, Kang Ichae took one deep breath, exhaled, and lightly tapped Jiwon’s shoulder.
“...As long as you’re happy.”
“Mm-hm!”
The two of them staggered to their feet, mumbling that they’d clean up later, and headed into the glamping cabin.
“Hoyun’s such, such, such a good person! And you are too, Ichae!!” Jiwon whined.
“Yeah, yeah, I know, just get inside already,” came Ichae’s muffled reply.
Left behind, Jung Dajun and Kim Sunghyun stared blankly at their retreating backs. The only sound that filled the silence was the soft crackling of the campfire.
“Sunghyun-hyung... why are their drunk habits like that?”
“I don’t know. Don’t ask me...”
Suddenly sobered, Jung Dajun muttered gravely, “I’m never drinking.” Kim felt a swell of pride at his newly enlightened maknae.
That pride lasted all of three minutes—until Dajun, who’d insisted on helping clean up, tripped over his own foot and went crashing to the ground despite being completely sober.
Sighing, Kim carried him off to bed, then returned alone to the barbecue area.
“Good grief...”
So this is what a holiday’s supposed to be, huh.
‘Would it have been better if Seo Hoyun were here?’
With that thought, Kim started tidying up. He tied up the leftover food waste to keep bugs away and trudged toward the trash station for sorting.
He stopped when he felt someone’s presence. Turning, he saw a black car parked in the shadows—and a man leaning casually against it.
Dressed entirely in black, he would’ve blended right into the night if not for the faint glow of a phone screen.
Huh? Kim blinked. The man turned his head, as if noticing him, and spoke.
“Hey.”
...Scared the hell out of me.
“...Seo Hoyun.”
That face was already intimidating when expressionless, but standing there at one in the morning—it made Kim’s heart jump.
“What are you doing here?”
“Can’t I come?”
Well, technically, no, but—
Didn’t he say he wasn’t coming? As Hoyun approached, Kim realized the “cigarette” in his mouth was actually a lollipop. Feeling guilty for doubting him, he said nothing and kept walking. Hoyun noticed his glance at the candy stick but didn’t comment, only changed the subject.
“The others?”
“Already asleep.”
“They crash fast.”
Kim couldn’t bring himself to say they’d passed out drunk. As he fumbled for words, Hoyun straightened from where he’d been leaning and followed him back.
“How’d you even get here? Taxis don’t run this far out. You drove?”
“I did.”
You did? He bit back the question, but Hoyun caught on instantly, arching a brow in amusement.
Normally, the moment they met, Hoyun would tease him—‘Baby, hyung’s here, so cute—’—but tonight, the air was cold and subdued. He must’ve been in a foul mood. Kim pretended not to notice and went about emptying the trash, then returned to the barbecue area.
Hoyun followed, gave the table a quick scan, and dragged over a chair with his foot. Kim sat down beside him. Hoyun fiddled with the car key in his pocket, then spoke first.
“It’s Chuseok, and there’s not even a single songpyeon?”
“......”
Songpyeon, my ass...
Kim let out a hollow laugh but, seeing how tired he looked, didn’t argue—just pushed over the remaining meat. Hoyun shook his head, leaned back, and said flatly,
“Sunghyun-ah, make me songpyeon.”
“Sunghyun-ah, grill more meat.”
“Sunghyun-ah, fry me some jeon.”
...All of it nonsense.
As his unreasonable demands went on, Kim, chewing on a leftover carrot, finally grumbled,
“Why don’t you just ask for Chuseok pocket money while you’re at it?”
“If you’re giving it, I’ll gladly take it.”
Only then did Hoyun chuckle, the cold edge in his eyes softening into a faint smile.
Pulling his hand from his pocket, he straightened up and poured himself a cup of soju in one of their plastic beer cups. Clearly, something had been bothering him.
“Chuseok’s annoying.”
He muttered the words and downed the drink in one gulp. He didn’t look like he wanted to elaborate, so while he emptied nearly three bottles, Kim quietly kept refilling his cup.
After a long silence, Hoyun propped his chin on one hand and asked,
“Sunghyun, did your little brothers rob you blind again?”
“Totally.”
“Yeah?”
Kim pulled out his wallet—completely empty—and showed it to him. Hoyun tapped the table with his fingers, hesitated, then asked,
“Giving your real brother pocket money for the holidays... that’s not weird, right?”
“What?”
What kind of question was that?
Kim frowned at him. The raw tone in his voice told him Hoyun was tipsy.
“...No? Mine took all of my money this time.”
“Exactly. Fuck.”
“Exactly.” Hoyun repeated it, cursing under his breath. “Stupid crap... they already got it before, but now—acting like I’m some rich uncle.” He tossed back another shot, irritation written all over his face.
So it was a fight about allowance money.
Normally, brothers only a year apart didn’t bother with giving each other pocket money, but Hoyun’s case was... special. Maybe his brother refused to take it, and that somehow made things worse.
After thinking for a moment, Kim reached out his hand.
“Give me a thousand won.”
“......”
Hoyun blinked at him, dumbfounded.
Kim’s ears turned bright red, but he didn’t pull his hand back. His expression made it clear—he wasn’t giving up until he got it. Bewildered, Hoyun finally took out a blue bill and handed it over. Kim accepted it like a younger subordinate and bowed slightly. “Thank you.”
“See? Now I’m the weird one, right?”
“......”
Hoyun stared, eyes wide.
A same-age leader receiving holiday money from his member? Ridiculous. Compared to that, giving pocket money to a real brother was nothing strange at all—exactly the point Kim wanted to make.
It had been an impulsive act, done in drunken sympathy just to lighten Hoyun’s mood. His ears were still burning, but explaining it would only make things worse, so he kept his mouth shut.
“Pfft.”
Seo Hoyun burst out laughing—loud, unrestrained laughter, so hard he nearly collapsed onto the table. The sight of him laughing that freely only made Kim Sunghyun angrier.
“It’s the camping participation fee, okay? Participation fee. Stop laughing. I said it’s the fee!”
“Ah, one thousand won is such an expensive entry price, baby. Can’t you cut hyung some slack...?”
Kim scowled, but Hoyun didn’t even flinch. After laughing himself hoarse, Hoyun propped his chin on one hand and poured another drink for him.
“You took my money, so you’re drinking what I pour.”
“......”
“Damn, you’re cute.”
Not even a little bit.
They talked for a long while—trivial things, like what kind of Chuseok gifts Daepaseong had sent out, what the other members had done during the holiday.
As the conversation went on, Seo Hoyun kept pouring, bottle after bottle, until Kim Sunghyun was completely drunk. Just like that night long ago, after Shining Star Season 1 ended, when they’d shared drinks at a late-night street tent.
“Hey.”
He almost said “hyung,” but caught himself just in time. This was Seo Hoyun—his member, his equal—not the past. Hoyun didn’t seem drunk at all; he just kept refilling Kim’s glass.
This bastard’s trying to drown me in booze, isn’t he?
That was Kim’s last coherent thought before he slumped forward onto the table.
Lifting him up, Hoyun carried him halfway toward the glamping site before giving up and unceremoniously dropping him on the ground.
“There. This is your house now.”
You son of a—
Kim forced himself upright, wobbling. Overhead, he could hear Hoyun’s muffled laughter.
Dizzy, cold, thinking about how he still needed to clean up the table—his mind was a jumble, but the words that came out were something else entirely.
“You said you weren’t coming.”
“What?”
“Why’d you come? You said you were busy... The guys kept asking about you. They were waiting.”
He expected him to ignore it, but surprisingly, Hoyun answered right away.
“Couldn’t not come. Dajun came by and wouldn’t shut up—said our group’s called The Dawn, so we have to see the sunrise together...”
So that’s why?
Not really understanding, Kim blinked and lifted his face, trying to read him. Hoyun was already crouched across from him, watching closely.
Then, with a playful glint in his eyes, he said softly—
“I came to see the dawn.”
***
“I think I’m gonna throw up...”
The sky was still dim when Jung Dajun, the first to wake, saw the rest of the members groaning and scolded them at full volume.
“What?! An idol saying he’s gonna puke? Disqualified! And you reek of alcohol! Idols should smell like cotton candy, not soju! Look at Hoyun-hyung! He’s perfectly fine!”
“The kid’s got a point.”
“Right?! Right!! Now drink this hangover cure! And water! Lots of it!”
Hoyun yawned loudly beside him, joining in on the scolding. It was infuriating, but since he wasn’t wrong, no one could argue. Even Sung Jiwon, pale-faced, quietly climbed into the van.
The only one fully functioning was Dajun, who ended up taking the driver’s seat. So at 5 a.m., they headed to Wangbang Mountain to watch the sunrise.
Kang Ichae looked half-dead climbing up the slope and eventually flopped onto the ground.
“Ugh... do we have to hike? Couldn’t we just watch the sunrise from flat land?”
“Don’t be weak! I’ll show you the sun, Yang-Achae! The radiant dawn! The beauty of it all!!”
Dajun, burning with passion, pulled Ichae up by the arm.
But of course, whenever Dajun led, something had to go wrong. As they followed him up, Sung Jiwon frowned.
“Huh? Dajun, I don’t think this is the right way.”
“What?!”
Sure enough, there were barely any cars in the lot, and fewer people on the trail. Normally, Sunghyun—who actually knew how to hike—would’ve led, but last night’s drinking duel with Hoyun had taken him out of commission.
Feeling responsible, Kim snapped fully awake and grabbed Dajun by the collar before they could wander deeper. Guided by the weak beam of Sung Jiwon’s flashlight, they retraced their steps until, finally, just before getting back on the trail, Hoyun stopped.
“Hey, we can see it from here.”
He was right. The five of them huddled close together so no one would slip. Over the dark blue sky, faint light began to bloom.
Sung Jiwon turned off his flashlight and nudged the chattering Ichae and Dajun. The horizon was turning red—the dawn was breaking.
They hadn’t made it to the summit, but they were lucky enough to see the sunrise anyway. The sun hung halfway over the ridge, veiled by clouds, its full face hidden.
“...We saw it after all.”
“It’s behind the clouds.”
“It’s still there, though.”
Despite Hoyun’s comment, Ichae just grinned. Dajun blinked, then broke into a giggle.
“Should we make wishes?”
Do people even make wishes at a Chuseok sunrise?
But Sung Jiwon smiled. “Shall we?”
Ichae’s eyes sparkled, and even Hoyun—still yawning—gave in to the insistence and pretended to make a wish.
When the group fell quiet, Kim Sunghyun crouched down, pressed his hands together, and silently made his own wish.
First, as always, he wished for the health and happiness of the people he loved. Last year, that would’ve been it. But this year, he found himself hoping for a little more.
Four’s nice, but five just feels right. The formation looks better too. Sure, Seo Hoyun can be annoying and makes my blood boil sometimes, but it’s fine.
So please... let us stay happy forever.
No—maybe not forever, but for a very, very long time...
When he opened his eyes, four pairs of curious, mischievous eyes were staring right at him. He’d clearly taken too long.
Kim cleared his throat and stood up, pretending not to notice their teasing smiles.
“...Let’s go.”
As they retraced their steps down the mountain, Ichae piped up playfully,
“I hope Sunghyun-hyung’s wish comes true.”
“Haha, me too.”
“Then me too!!”
Behind Dajun’s cheerful voice came a low chuckle from Hoyun. He reached out and pressed a hand against the back of Kim’s head.
“Good for you, our Sunghyun.”
Kim wondered for a moment what realistic Seo Hoyun might’ve wished for—but knowing him, he wasn’t about to tell anyone, so Kim didn’t bother asking.
Their descent was filled with noise and laughter. A small argument broke out, as usual, and after a few minutes of teasing, Hoyun somehow ended up the scapegoat.
In the end, he agreed to buy everyone lunch as penance for being “late.”
And of course, that lunch turned out to be gukbap.
Chuseok Special Extra – The End.
